Epson Rolls Out New Affordable Classroom Projectors
Epson has announced what it calls four new budget-friendly 3LCD projectors designed for classroom use.
Epson PowerLite
Epson has announced what it calls four new budget-friendly 3LCD projectors designed for classroom use. The projectors include the PowerLite 92, 93, 95, and 96W, and they are designed to replace the current PowerLite 83V+, 83+, 84+, 85+, and 826W+ models. Company officials said the new products offer a more robust built-in speaker, increased brightness, and HDMI connectivity.
“As multimedia content becomes a standard element of classrooms… this series of projectors brings an ideal blend of high performance features and future-ready connectivity to the classroom at a price point that won’t hurt the bottom line,” said Sara Kim, product manager for Epson America, in a statement.
The PowerLite 92 ($649) and 93 ($699) offer 2,400 lumens of color and white light output, while the PowerLite 95 ($799) features 2,600 lumens of color and white light output; all three projectors deliver XGA resolution.
The PowerLite 96W ($899) outputs 2,700 lumens at WXGA (1280×800) resolution, allowing teachers to fully leverage widescreen notebooks or tablets and widescreen DVD content. In addition, the PowerLite 93, 95 and 96W feature network connectivity to monitor and control networked Epson projectors remotely. According to Epson, the PowerLite 95 and 96W offer even more robust network functionality, including the ability to transmit both audio and video content over the IP network or through an optional wireless module.
Each new model in the PowerLite 90 series has an internal 16W speaker, a built-in closed-captioning decoder, and a convenient microphone input. They can project pre-designed line and graph pattern templates, or other customizable images, to aid with class instruction. Epson’s USB Plug ‘n Play feature instantly projects images, transmits audio, and controls a presentation from either a Windows PC or Mac through a single USB connection.
Direct Power On and Off allows for an installed projector to be powered on at a wall switch, while Epson’s Instant On/Off feature helps teachers to avoid delays when starting and finishing presentations and be up and running in seconds. The new projectors come with 1.2x optical zoom and +30 degree automatic vertical keystone correction, as well as a new +30 degree horizontal keystone correction for added flexibility.
Epson says the PowerLite 90 series will be available in March 2011 through national resellers, pro AV dealers, mail order, and distribution. Epson’s PowerLite projectors come with a two-year limited warranty, or three years for Brighter Futures customers (visit www.epsonbrighterfutures.com for more information).
